Dominate

Command over mortal minds. With a gaze and a word, the vampire overwrites will, memory, and intent. Powers activate per the mechanics on the Disciplines page; every contested power below carries its own contest table and resistance formula, ready to play as-is.

Using Dominate

The Discipline has hard limits, whatever the power VTM:

Eye contact and voice: Most Dominate powers require eye contact, and the command must be spoken — the victim must hear and understand the language. Once caught, the gaze holds until the command is conveyed. Catching the eyes of someone actively avoiding it is its own conflicting-skills contest: Intimidation (Memory-based) vs the target's Awareness (Intuition-based) VTM. Shut eyes or a blindfold make it impossible.

In combat: Only targets attacking or otherwise directly interacting with the user can be Dominated — everyone else's attention is on their own peril.

No lethal commands: Commands resulting in obvious death or serious injury fail automatically (only Terminal Decree, Dominate 5, lifts this). Commands causing lesser social or physical harm — or going against the victim's nature — always get the resistance contest, even against unprepared mortals.

Puppets, not sources: Dominate cannot extract information — the victim is a mindless puppet while under it, so "Speak" produces word salad — and cannot make the victim do something they could not do on command, such as "Sleep".

Stronger Blood: A victim of lower (stronger) Generation than the user may spend one point of Willpower to shrug the attempt off entirely — no roll.

Humanity: Wearing people like puppets may incur Stains, especially against Convictions about personal freedom.

Level 1

Cloud Memory

By uttering the phrase "Forget!", the vampire makes the victim forget the current moment and the last few minutes — enough to mask a superficial feeding or a chance meeting. No new memories form in the gap; if pressed, the victim realizes minutes are missing.

Cost: Free.

Pools: Presence + Dominate vs Intuition + Memory VTM

System: No roll is needed against an unprepared mortal. Clouding the memory of a resisting victim or another vampire requires the contest below.

Duration: Indefinitely.

Resistance (the victim rolls first, as the passive side):

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(In_{bonus} + Me_{bonus})} + BP\)BP

Cloud Memory
\(d100_{OE} + DominateSkill + (20 + {2}\times{Pr_{bonus}}) + BP + (100 - Resistance) + Modifiers\)BP
Roll	Result
< 1	Absolute Failure
The fog never forms — instead the moment burns in: the victim remembers you with unnatural clarity and knows you tried something. That target is beyond your Dominate for the rest of the story, and the backlash costs you -20 on your next maneuver.
1 - 75	Failure
The memory holds. The victim blinks through a moment of vagueness and keeps every detail.
UM 66	Unusual Event
The fog rolls farther than bidden. On a success the whole last hour goes with the moment — which may serve you or cost you. On a failure the memory sticks and sharpens: above all else, the victim remembers your eyes.
76 - 100	Partial Success
The minutes blur but fragments survive — a smell, a silhouette, a feeling of missing time that itches. You may smooth it over next round at +10.
101 - 175	Success
The last few minutes vanish. No new memories form; if pressed, the victim only realizes time is missing.
176 +	Absolute Success
The mind heals over the gap on its own: the victim invents a mundane explanation for the lost minutes and will defend it as truth.
Modifiers
Target
auto	Unprepared mortal — no roll, the minutes simply vanish
-30	The victim is frenzied (the frenzy resists for them)
Pr/In/Me are the RMU stat bonuses (Presence; the victim's Intuition and Memory). Willpower may be spent on either roll per the normal boost rules.

Compel

With eye contact, the vampire can issue the victim a single-action command, no longer than a short sentence, to be obeyed to the letter.

Cost: Free.

Pools: Presence + Dominate vs Reasoning + Memory VTM

System: The command must be completable in a single turn. No roll is needed against an unprepared mortal. Commanding a resisting victim, a victim already Dominated this scene, another vampire, or commanding anything against the victim's nature requires the contest below. Ambiguous commands the Storyteller may interpret unfavorably — or they simply confuse the victim and fail.

Duration: No more than a single scene.

Resistance (the victim rolls first, as the passive side):

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(Re_{bonus} + Me_{bonus})} + BP\)BP

Compel
\(d100_{OE} + DominateSkill + (20 + {2}\times{Pr_{bonus}}) + BP + (100 - Resistance) + Modifiers\)BP
Roll	Result
< 1	Absolute Failure
The command dies on your lips and the victim feels cold fingers withdraw from their mind. They know exactly what you tried, that target is beyond your Dominate — all of it, not just Compel — for the rest of the story, and the backlash costs you -20 on your next maneuver.
1 - 75	Failure
The victim’s will holds. The command brushes past as a moment of confusion and is gone.
UM 66	Unusual Event
The command lodges strangely. On a success the victim obeys and rationalizes the act as their own idea — no one, not even the victim, registers the Domination. On a failure they obey nothing and repeat your command aloud, wondering where the thought came from.
76 - 100	Partial Success
The command takes hold with slack in it: the victim obeys but hesitates or interprets loosely — the Storyteller applies the loophole reading. You may press the command again next round at +10.
101 - 175	Success
The victim obeys the command to the letter.
176 +	Absolute Success
The victim obeys instantly and naturally; to bystanders — and to the victim — it reads as their own decision.
Modifiers
Target
auto	Unprepared mortal — no roll, the command simply lands
-30	The victim is frenzied (the frenzy resists for them)
Pr/Re/Me are the RMU stat bonuses (Presence; the victim's Reasoning and Memory). Willpower may be spent on either roll per the normal boost rules.

Ex: A neonate with Dominate rank 3 (skill +9), Presence 80 (+5, so 20 + 10 = +30) and Blood Potency 1 (BP +5) activates at \(d100_{OE} + 44\). The victim, a vampire with Reasoning 80 (+5), Memory 80 (+5), and the same Blood Potency, resists at \(d100_{OE} + 65\) — rolling 55 for a Resistance of 120. The activation is made at \(d100_{OE} + 44 - 20\): a natural 77+ commands the victim outright, 52-76 lands a weakened command. (Equal Blood Potency cancels out through the contest — only a difference in BP moves the odds.)

Level 2

Mesmerize

The vampire issues complex commands — as long as they hold the subject's gaze and have relative quiet to speak in. The instructions are carried out immediately, to the victim's best ability, and may not contain conditional actions ("…if you see Henry, give him the document"), as those would require the victim to exercise cognition.

Cost: One Rouse Check.

Pools: Empathy + Dominate vs Reasoning + Memory VTM

System: No roll is needed against an unprepared mortal. Commanding a resisting victim or another vampire — or commanding anything against the victim's nature — requires the contest below.

Duration: Until the command is carried out or the scene ends, whichever comes first.

Resistance (the victim rolls first, as the passive side):

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(Re_{bonus} + Me_{bonus})} + BP\)BP

Mesmerize
\(d100_{OE} + DominateSkill + (20 + {2}\times{Em_{bonus}}) + BP + (100 - Resistance) + Modifiers\)BP
Roll	Result
< 1	Absolute Failure
The instructions collapse into noise and the victim feels the intrusion. They know exactly what you tried, that target is beyond your Dominate for the rest of the story, and the backlash costs you -20 on your next maneuver.
1 - 75	Failure
The victim’s will holds. Your words wash over them as so much talk.
UM 66	Unusual Event
The instructions sink deeper than meant. On a success the victim adopts the task as their own plan and improvises around obstacles — no one registers the Domination. On a failure they recite your instructions aloud, word for word, wondering where the thought came from.
76 - 100	Partial Success
The instructions take hold loosely: the victim carries them out sloppily or incompletely — the Storyteller applies the loophole reading. You may press the instructions again next round at +10.
101 - 175	Success
The victim carries out the instructions immediately, to the best of their ability.
176 +	Absolute Success
The victim executes the instructions flawlessly and, if questioned, defends the errand as their own idea.
Modifiers
Target
auto	Unprepared mortal — no roll, the instructions simply take
-30	The victim is frenzied (the frenzy resists for them)
Em/Re/Me are the RMU stat bonuses (Empathy; the victim's Reasoning and Memory). Willpower may be spent on either roll per the normal boost rules.

Dementation

This subtle power needs nothing more than casual conversation — the vampire's insidious influence hides between the lines and inflections. The victim grows increasingly agitated as their inner demons bubble to the surface, drowning out rhyme and reason.

Amalgam: Requires Obfuscate at Level 2 (ranks 6+).

Cost: One Rouse Check per scene — and a separate one for each victim beyond the first.

Pools: Empathy + Dominate vs Self Discipline + Reasoning VTM

System: After engaging a victim in conversation, activate the power. For the rest of the scene you may needle one individual each turn with the contest below, dealing Superficial Willpower damage. A mortal driven Impaired by this power suffers a nervous breakdown or psychotic break shaped by their personality; a vampire driven Impaired immediately succumbs to a Compulsion of your choosing.

Duration: One scene.

Resistance (the victim rolls first, as the passive side):

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(SD_{bonus} + Re_{bonus})} + BP\)BP

Dementation
\(d100_{OE} + DominateSkill + (20 + {2}\times{Em_{bonus}}) + BP + (100 - Resistance) + Modifiers\)BP
Roll	Result
< 1	Absolute Failure
The needling turns in your hand: the victim sees exactly what you are doing to them. That target is beyond your Dominate for the rest of the story, and the backlash costs you -20 on your next maneuver.
1 - 75	Failure
The victim’s composure holds this turn. The conversation continues; you may needle again next turn.
UM 66	Unusual Event
The demons surface wrong. On a success the victim’s agitation fixes on a scapegoat of the Storyteller’s choosing — no one so much as glances at you. On a failure the game stirs your own Beast: you take 1 Superficial Willpower damage.
76 - 100	Partial Success
A crack shows: deal 1 Superficial Willpower damage, but the victim grows wary of the conversation and may disengage.
101 - 175	Success
The words find the wound: deal 1 Superficial Willpower damage, plus 1 more per full +10 above 101.
176 +	Absolute Success
The victim unravels mid-sentence: damage as a Success, plus 2 more — and nothing connects their state to you.
Modifiers
Target
-30	The victim is frenzied (the frenzy resists for them)
Em/SD/Re are the RMU stat bonuses (Empathy; the victim's Self Discipline and Reasoning). Willpower may be spent on either roll per the normal boost rules. Damage follows the margin bridge: one die of margin per +10.

Level 3

The Forgetful Mind

The vampire rewrites whole swathes of the victim's memories by verbally describing new ones, which the victim accepts as their own — as long as the vampire keeps the victim's gaze and full, uninterrupted attention. This power does not reveal the victim's true memories; it is blindly painting over the old canvas.

Cost: One Rouse Check.

Pools: Empathy + Dominate vs Reasoning + Memory VTM

System: Always a contest — even mortals cling to what they remember. Each edit adds or removes one memory; the victim recalls the edits vaguely, as foggy ideations that can fall apart under close questioning.

Duration: Indefinitely.

Resistance (the victim rolls first, as the passive side):

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(Re_{bonus} + Me_{bonus})} + BP\)BP

The Forgetful Mind
\(d100_{OE} + DominateSkill + (20 + {2}\times{Em_{bonus}}) + BP + (100 - Resistance) + Modifiers\)BP
Roll	Result
< 1	Absolute Failure
The canvas rips: the victim keeps every true memory — and gains a vivid new one of you rooting through their mind. That target is beyond your Dominate for the rest of the story, and the backlash costs you -20 on your next maneuver.
1 - 75	Failure
The old memories hold fast. The victim hears your narration as idle talk and remembers it as exactly that.
UM 66	Unusual Event
The brush slips. On a success an extra memory of the Storyteller’s choosing dissolves along with the target — the gap may serve you or haunt you. On a failure the victim’s eyes glaze mid-narration, and anyone watching realizes something was just done to them.
76 - 100	Partial Success
The paint is thin: one edit takes, but the seams show — the memory unravels under any close questioning. You may deepen the work next round at +10.
101 - 175	Success
The new memories take: one edit, plus one more per full +10 above 101.
176 +	Absolute Success
Edits as a Success, but each is a flawless imprint — as real as any true memory, and proof against questioning.
Modifiers
Target
-30	The victim is frenzied (the frenzy resists for them)
Em/Re/Me are the RMU stat bonuses (Empathy; the victim's Reasoning and Memory). Willpower may be spent on either roll per the normal boost rules. Edits follow the margin bridge: one die of margin per +10.

Submerged Directive

When using Mesmerize, the vampire can implant the command as a post-hypnotic suggestion that lies dormant until a specific trigger — a date, a person ("When you meet Roland, tell him these words"), a phrase. The directive never expires; a victim can carry a buried order for years.

Cost: No additional cost.

System: Resolve as Mesmerize above, though the Storyteller should make the contest in secret — there is no way to know whether the suggestion took until the trigger occurs. Only one directive can be embedded per victim.

Duration: Passive — the directive waits until triggered.

Level 4

Rationalize

The vampire's victims now believe everything they did under Dominate was their own free will — and defend their actions, however absurd. Long-term exposure can leave severe mental trauma.

Cost: No additional cost.

System: Applies automatically to the vampire's other Dominate powers. If pressed hard on their belief, the victim may attempt an Awareness maneuver (Intuition-based) at Sheer Folly (-50) VTM; success makes them question their own statement — and possibly their sanity.

Duration: Indefinitely.

Level 5

Mass Manipulation

The vampire commands entire gatherings of mortals — and, with effort, groups of vampires — amplifying their other Dominate powers to work on a crowd at once.

Cost: One Rouse Checkin addition to the amplified power's cost.

System: Choose one of your other Dominate powers and apply it to a group; every victim must see your eyes. Make the amplified power's contest once, against the resistance of the strongest member of the group — the result applies to everyone.

Duration: As per the power amplified.

Terminal Decree

No longer checked by the victim's self-preservation, the vampire can issue commands that lead directly to harm or death: mortals made to blow their own brains out, jump from rooftops, swallow poison. Vampires can, with a bit of effort, be made to walk into fire or sunlight.

Cost: No additional cost — but the Humanity cost is potentially severe: expect Stains.

System: Lifts the "no lethal commands" limit above: terminal commands are resisted with the used power's normal contest instead of failing automatically.

Duration: Passive.